Furcraea foetida

26/07/2012

As we primarily saw a Furcraea foetida (L.) Haw. 1812, commonly called Giant Cabuya, Green-aloe or Mauritius-hemp, we thought this tropical, succulent plant is an Agave.


After we went through our botanical library we had to find out, that Agave flowers are completely different and after a long research we could finally classify the plant as Furcraea foetida. Furcraea is a plant genus in the Asparagaceae subfamily Agavoideae, containing about 20 species and is a close relative to the better known Agave. As we saw the plant sprouting an enormous inflorescence, which can reach a height up to 8 meters, we had to come back to the Furcraea foetida every day to experience a natural spectacle, which happens just all 25 years. It needs 25 years for the tropical plant to collect enough power to sprout its inflorescence with hundreds of green flowers. Flowers get a size of about 4 cm and open just a few at the same time. The plant stay in bloom for several weeks, then it will die. The beautiful green Furcraea foetida flowers have an unpleasant, damp-stained smell, reminescent of a damp towel, which hasn`t been dried properly. The sword-shaped leaves of Furcraea foetida get a length of up to about 1,80 meters and are used to produce a natural fiber and in nature medicine for their anti-inflammatory properties. The succulent plant is native to the North of South America and the Caribbean Islands.




Flower Photography © Orchids Flowers.com
Image: Furcraea foetida


Flower Photography © Orchids Flowers.com
Image: Furcraea foetida

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